I’m constantly amazed at the ingenious ways marketers come up with to entice consumers to part with their hard-earned money. The scams employed vary all the time as folks finally begin to catch on, and it’s always interesting to see what angle they come up with next.
Right now the ploy of choice seems to be something along the lines of “Order right now and we’ll send you a second widget absolutely free“, and then the announcer quickly says in a hushed voice: ”Just pay separate shipping and handling.”
The first time I heard that pitch on a television commercial I thought “Now what sense does that make? That little widget is about the size of a candy bar and weighs about two ounces. Why on earth should they expect me to pay double for shipping and handling for a product they’re gonna let me have for free?”
The answer of course is profit. If the fast-talking announcer can talk you into paying $12 “separate” shipping and handling for an “extra” widget that costs them something like $3, they just made a fast and easy $9. And since they’ll just toss that second widget right into the same box they’re shipping the first one in, that $9 is pretty much pure profit.
What amazes me even more than the ingenious scam tactics these companies come up with is the fact that people actually fall for them - and in large numbers. One would think it would be easy to see through the thin layer of smoke that veils this scam, but apparently not.
Oh, by the way, if you like this blog post I’ll let you read two more for free! Just send me $10 shipping and handling. Don’t worry, you’ll be getting almost as much for your money as you would if you purchased a pair of those widgets from the fast-talking TV announcer!
I would rather pay for your blog….
I always found those deals great. Especially where they are selling products that cost them about $1 to make.
It’s high time the government moved in on these scammers.